For 'Soda Man,' Frosty Beverage closing is bittersweet

As he leaned against a piece of machinery, sipping coffee and smiling, Eddie Abdow Jr. showed no outward wear from what had been one of the most emotional weeks of his life.

He was about to close the 59-year-old Fall River family business, Frosty Beverage Co., on his own terms after careful thought and weeks of preparation. But with the equipment turned off for good and the last soda shipments nearly gone, the gravity of his decision was catching up to him.

"I feel like I'm at my own wake," he said.

Since announcing several days ago the closure of the Quarry Street facility, Abdow has been inundated with questions, well wishes and media inquiries from as far away as Boston.

"It's been crazy," he said. "The one thing that keeps coming to me is that expression, 'You're more popular in death than you are in life.' I keep getting messages on the answering machine, requests for interviews, messages from people on Facebook saying, 'Eddie, don't do this.' It's really, really overwhelming."

While he will be sad to see his business end, Abdow, 49, said he is content with the decision he made about a month ago. He said he wants to spend more time with his family, including his 15-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. The demands of his aging business in recent years have made family time a rare treat, especially because Abdow has another full-time job teaching eighth-grade science at Henry Lord Middle School.

"Of course there is sadness with this because people define me this way," Abdow said, gesturing at the machines and bottle cases in his factory Saturday morning. "I could teach until I'm 65 and I'll always be the Soda Man. My friends will always call me Frosty. That's what defines me because it was a big chapter of my life. Now it's time to write a new chapter."

Abdow said expensive machinery repairs and rising production costs factored into the decision, adding that he would never want to see the business be forced to close because of a lack of sales or for other reasons beyond his control.

"This is more like a retirement than anything else," he said. "I love the soda business and I love teaching, but I'm not a kid anymore and those cases are heavy."

Abdow was born into the family business, which has roots in the 1940s under the watch of his grandfather, Azar Abdow. He grew up learning the soda-making process alongside his father, 85-year-old Eddie Abdow Sr., who transferred the business to his son in 1984.

Since announcing the news to his friends on Facebook New Year's Eve, Abdow said supportive messages have been pouring in from Fall River residents who also grew up with the company, gulping its beverages in their youth. Frosty not only bottled its own soda, but delivered it to customers' doorsteps as well.

Fall River once was home to 13 soda bottlers. Frosty was the last one.

Saturday morning, a woman parked her car on Quarry Street and walked into the factory just to give Abdow a hug and wish him the best. Others have been stopping by to grab one last bottle of soda. Abdow has been fielding phone calls from people interested in purchasing the equipment, which includes a 9-ton bottle washer.

"At first I wondered who was going to want this stuff," Abdow said. "Now I've got to find the right person for the machines."

He said he plans to lease the building, which is in need of repair. The business sign, which reads 'Soda like it used to be,' remains affixed to the front.

Abdow said his father and longtime coworker understands his decision — and his desire to focus on his other job in the classroom.

"The day I got my diploma for my master's degree, I knew where my father was in the audience and I saw him, this 80-something guy, with tears streaming down his face. I think — I know — he's proud I went back to school to become a teacher."

With Frosty no longer around to let new generations discover the taste of locally made soda, perhaps the classroom is the best place for Abdow to work. He said he would continue incorporating the beverages he made for so long into how-it's-made science lessons.

"I know it's a sad thing because Frosty has been around a long time and is a huge part of Fall River, but this is my choice," Abdow said as friends swept the factory floor around him. "I don't want anybody to feel bad for me."

Phil Devitt can be reached at editor@fallriverspirit.com or (508) 979-4492.